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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improved portable, switched electric outlets having an enclosure containing one or more electrical receptacles that are wired in a parallel circuit, as well as to portable, switched electric receptacles that share a common enclosure with other portable electrical devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable, switched electric outlets, of which the power strip is a common example, typically consist of an enclosure containing a power switch and an electrical circuit connecting the electric source to one or more receptacle sockets wired in parallel that receive an electrical plug, which device is connected to an external power source by a supply cord and plug. The switch allows the user to simultaneously turn all the receptacles on or off with a single throw of the switch. More elaborate versions may also include or substitute individual switches for particular receptacles, and/or contain circuit breakers, surge or lightning protection, voltage regulation, power conditioning, radio frequency and electromagnetic interference filters, power-on indicator lights, or an uninterruptible power source (UPS) containing batteries. Telephone, data, television and other such telecommunication lines are sometimes routed through portable switched outlets for purposes such as surge protection. These portable switched outlets may be made in many shapes, such as rectangles, octagons, semicircles, with receptacles located in rows, rectangles, or other configurations located on various surfaces of the enclosure. Such outlets can be incorporated in or attached to other devices such as a UPS, and are included within the scope and intent of this invention. All of the foregoing devices are collectively hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cportable switched outletsxe2x80x9d for convenience and conciseness.
With the popularity of desktop computers, portable switched outlets have become ubiquitous. Due to unsightliness, logistics or other reasons, the portable switched outlet is often located in some hard to reach place such as behind a desktop computer or on the floor as shown in FIG. 1, requiring the user to reach this inconvenient location each time the portable switched outlet is turned on or off.
One prior art portable outlet, Prazoff U.S. Pat. No. 6,077,109, provides for storage of its power supply cord within an open chamber of the outlet enclosure. Lee, D448,730 S, discloses a retractable power supply cord stored within a multi-outlet caddy. As will be seen, the third preferred form of the present invention stores its remote control cord and remote control switch in a cavity within the outlet enclosure, and differs from, and is an improvement to the prior art in several respects: In this preferred embodiment of the present invention, (1) the cavity does not store the power supply cord, (2) the cavity is fully enclosed by means of a movable closure such as a door or cap, (3) the cavity may contain a socket for receiving a plug attached to the stored remote control cord, (4) the cavity can also store a power switch, and (5) the cavity can be much smaller than the prior art cord storage areas by virtue of the relay switching used.
It is a purpose of this invention to permit a portable switched outlet to be remotely switched by means of a remote switch that is located outside the portable switched outlet, which switch is connected to the portable switched outlet by means of a remote control cord that is distinct from the electrical power supply cord connecting the portable switched outlet to the external power source. In the first three preferred embodiments electric current is switched by a relay located within the portable switched outlet. This relay is controlled by a remote switch located outside the portable switched outlet, which remote switch is connected to the relay by the remote control cord. The remote control cord couples a control signal from the remote control cord to the relay. Examples of such a control signal are an electric current conducted through an electrical conductor or a light or laser beam passing through a fiber optic cable. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9crelayxe2x80x9d is broadly defined as any device, component or circuit capable of switching on and off the flow of electricity through an electric circuit under the control of a signal applied to the relay.
In the fourth preferred embodiment no relay is utilized. In this embodiment, the flow of electricity which has entered the portable switched outlet is interrupted at a point within said outlet that is ahead of the receptacles being switched, and the current is there diverted into a remote cord and a remote switch which are located outside the outlet enclosure. When the contacts in the remote switch are closed current is allowed to pass through the remote switch and flow back through another leg of the remote control cord into the outlet and its receptacles.
In all versions of preferred embodiment, the housing which contains the remote power switch can also contain additional switches for switching individual receptacles or for switching other devices, such as a UPS, that may share a common enclosure with the portable switched outlet. In the case of the first three preferred embodiments, such additional switches would require the use of additional relays within the portable switched outlet, which would be wired in the same manner as the circuit described herein. The remote power switch housing can also contain status indicators for the portable switched outlet, such as power on-off indicator lights, or status indicators such as battery charge level for a UPS sharing a common enclosure with the portable switched outlet.
Any of the foregoing switches, lights or indicators, including the main power switch, may be duplicated in the main enclosure of the portable switched outlet in order to afford redundancy. The main enclosure may also contain outlets that are not switched.
The remote control cord may be removeably or permanently attached to the portable switched outlet or to the remote switch or the remote switch housing. This allows, for example, the routing of the remote control cord through openings that are too small to pass the remote switch or its housing, or the substitution of different lengths of remote control cords or different remote switches. The point at which the remote control cord enters the outlet enclosure may vary from the locations indicated in the preferred forms, and is not critical to this invention.